When our ancestors gazed upon the stars long ago they looked up into the center of the sky and saw a mighty Dragon, a great celestial serpent with wings circling ceaselessly above them, night after night, century after century. Focusing primarily on the role of the constellation Draco, the astronomical marker of the North Celestial Pole for literally thousands of years, the circuit of the seasons was marked with the moving center guarding the position of the zodiacal circle.

The secret of the circle was hidden in its center.

The one had to be determined before the other.

If the true center was not accurately observed and determined, the entire circle was off. The importance of this simple astronomical observation helped facilitate the study of the calendar, navigation, farming and social organization. Don Cerow shows how the Dragon was the solitary guardian of the secret of the center, of the magic forged by the circle, a gem of incalculable worth.

When the Dragon Wore the Crown is a ground breaking book that covers a period of over six thousand years, focusing on what astrologers would call the Ages of Gemini, Taurus and Aries and taking us through the period of classical astronomywith the Greeks and Romans (approx. 7000 BC-200 AD). The book opens and closes with the Chinese mythological tradition and touches on Sumerian, Babylonian, Phoenician, Hindu, Norse, Native American and even Mayan myths, weaving together many of their celestial serpentine similarities.

This is a beautiful and informative book of discovery, following the mythology of various cultures as it evolved into modern astronomy.